The 2017 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

**koz-man** · 01-22-17, 01:20 AM

Elbow woes lead Josh Johnson to retire at 32

Pitcher Josh Johnson, one of the most dominant starters in the major leagues during his peak seasons with the Florida Marlins, is retiring from baseball at age 32, his agent, Matt Sosnick, told ESPN.com Thursday.

Johnson, who underwent three Tommy John surgeries on his right elbow during his career, signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants in early November. But he decided to retire with less than a month to go before the start of spring training.

**JAKEPEAVY21** · 01-22-17, 09:13 AM

too bad about Josh Johnson and the injuries.

He was a stud when healthy.

**EmpireMaker** · 01-22-17, 12:00 PM

Royals righthander Yordano Ventura died Sunday morning in an auto accident in his home country, the Dominican Republic. He was 25.
Confirmation of the reports of Ventura’s death came via Twitter from Dominican national police colonel Jacobo Mateo Moquete, who tweeted grisly photos of the accident with the caption (translated from the original Spanish), “Regrettable! Baseball player Yordano Ventura is the person who died in crash in Juan Adrian in the early hours of today.” Royals officials and Ventura’s agency later confirmed his death to Baseball America.
An auto accident in the Dominican also claimed the life of ex-big leaguer Andy Marte over the weekend, and Ventura famously pitched one of his finest games while honoring his friend Oscar Tavares of the Cardinals, who died at age 22 in the D.R. in an October 2014 wreck.
Ventura is the second frontline starter to die in the last six months, following last September’s death of 24-year-old Jose Fernandez of the Marlins.
Known for his hot temper and blazing fastball, Ventura helped key the Royals to the 2015 World Series championship, going 13-8, 4.08 that season. He made nine postseason starts during Kansas City’s pennant-winning seasons in ’14 and ’15, going 1-2, 4.66. He was 38-31, 3.89 overall since making his big league debut as a 22-year-old with three starts in 2013.
He did it with one of the firmest fastballs in the majors, particularly for a starting pitcher, averaging 96.3 mph on his heater in 2016. Just two starting pitchers averaged a higher velocity than Ventura, whose hardest pitch in 2016 was clocked at 100.5 mph.
Slight-bodied at 6-foot, 195 pounds but blessed with a quick arm, Ventura originally signed for a $28,000 bonus in October 2008. He burst onto the scene in 2010, when he jumped to the Rookie-level Arizona League and ranked as the league’s No. 2 prospect and the Royals’ No. 12 prospect that offseason. He was touching 100 mph even then and later developed a plus curveball and found more durability as he cleaned up his delivery.
He emerged as a big leaguer with a strong rookie season in 2014, going 14-10, 3.20 as the Royals won their first American League pennant since 1985. He earned nearly as many headlines for his tempestuous nature on the mound, leading to a 2016 brawl with the Orioles’ Manny Machado. That was the latest in a string of bench-clearing arguments and ejections Ventura had precipitated, including an incident with the White Sox in 2015 that prompted a seven-game suspension. He was suspended for nine days (later reduced to eight) for the Machado incident.
Scouts, opposing managers and coaches, Royals personnel and teammates all wondered if Ventura would reach his wondrous potential or if his temper would keep him as a tease. Now we’ll never know what this hard-throwing potential star could have become.

**EmpireMaker** · 01-22-17, 12:05 PM

**BigSpoon** · 01-22-17, 12:09 PM

Was not a huge fan of Ventura but the guy was really talented and had lots of potential. Very sad, RIP.

**yisman** · 01-22-17, 11:59 PM

first oscar tavares, now this.

sad...

**mr. leisure** · 01-23-17, 01:31 AM

Very sad only 24 years old

RIP Yordano

**JAKEPEAVY21** · 01-23-17, 08:27 AM

RIP Ventura..

**Chi_archie** · 01-23-17, 08:52 AM

way too many baseball deaths the past 3 years

**JAKEPEAVY21** · 01-23-17, 08:58 AM

Originally posted by Chi_archie

way too many baseball deaths the past 3 years

young guys too, very sad.

**EmpireMaker** · 01-23-17, 11:03 AM

We last checked in on the top available free agents almost a month ago, and since then, four of our top ten — Jose Bautista, Mark Trumbo, Michael Saunders and Neftali Feliz — have come off the board. Here’s a look at the top ten remaining at this point, with rankings from MLBTR’s November Top 50.
15. Jason Hammel. Hammel’s reported market has been curiously quiet all winter despite a typically solid 2016 season in Chicago. Since the new year, he’s been connected to the Orioles, Rangers and Yankees, although the Orioles look less likely now than they did before adding Trumbo. Hammel also changed agents this winter; one imagines it’s been a frustrating offseason for him.
16. Matt Wieters. Mark Polishuk took a close look at Wieters’ market earlier this weekend. The Braves’ recent signing of Kurt Suzuki would seem to limit Wieters’ options somewhat. A return to the Orioles to share the catcher position with Welington Castillo is a possibility, although, as Mark pointed out, that arrangement doesn’t seem to bode well for Wieters’ chances of landing a big free-agent contract in the future. Wieters has also been connected to the Angels.
21. Mike Napoli. With Edwin Encarnacion and Trumbo off the board, Napoli could be the next 1B/DH domino to fall. A return to the Rangers might be the strongest possibility at this point, and since the Rangers had interest in Trumbo, it might make sense for talks to intensify now that Trumbo is off the board. Texas has also recently been connected to fellow righty slugger Chris Carter, however.
23. Greg Holland. Holland reportedly could pick his team in the next week, capping an offseason in which he’s been connected to nearly everyone. Holland reportedly hopes for a two-year deal with an opt-out after the first year; it’s unclear which teams might consent to that arrangement, given that such a contract would require Holland’s new team to assume most of the risk of his return from injury while limiting its reward.
24. Travis Wood. Reports on Wood’s market have been few and far between this month. One potentially interesting development, though, has been the Rangers’ signing of Tyson Ross. Ross had also been connected to the Cubs, and it appeared possible the Cubs could attempt to re-sign Wood as a backup plan as they search for rotation depth.
30. Brandon Moss. Most of the news surrounding Moss in the past month has connected him to teams that no longer seem especially likely to sign him, such as the Orioles (who re-signed Trumbo), Blue Jays (who re-signed Bautista) and Phillies (who signed Saunders). The Rays have been connected to a variety of veteran hitters this offseason and would seem to be a possibility for Moss, although they might prefer a right-handed hitter. With a number of sluggers still available (including Napoli, Carter, Pedro Alvarez and Mark Reynolds), Moss might have to continue to wait for his rolling stone.
31. Joe Blanton. The veteran righty makes his first appearance on this list after a strong season (2.48 ERA, 9.0 K/9, 2.9 BB/9) in the Dodgers bullpen. He’s recently been connected to the Rockies, although there have been few reports on his market.
34. Sergio Romo. As with Blanton, there has been little recent reporting on Romo’s destination, although it recently emerged that the Brewers had interest in Blanton before adding Feliz. Feliz and Santiago Casilla recently signing could conceivably lead teams still looking for late-inning help to turn to Romo, however.
38. Fernando Salas. There’s been virtually nothing on Salas this winter, except one report that made him one of an extremely long list of relievers connected to the Marlins’ before that team’s additions of Brad Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa. One would think, though, that the 31-year-old would attract some late interest, particularly given his excellent 2016 stretch run with the Mets. Unlike Holland and Romo, he doesn’t have much closing experience, although he was successful in a half-season run as the Cardinals’ closer in 2011.
39. Boone Logan. The veteran lefty is one of several solid southpaw relief options remaining on the open market, including Wood (although it’s unclear whether Wood will start or relieve next year), Jerry Blevins and J.P. Howell. Other lefties (including Brett Cecil, Mike Dunn, Marc Rzepczynski, and, of course, Aroldis Chapman, although he’s clearly in a different category than the rest) have done quite well for themselves this winter; it’s unclear whether the crop of remaining lefty free agents will be able to do the same.

**Cross** · 01-23-17, 11:29 AM

Sad news on Ventura, I hope no more baseball deaths in near future.

**EmpireMaker** · 01-23-17, 07:13 PM

IMO this is a good bargain
#Rays sign RHP Shawn Tolleson to 1-year, $1M deal. #HotStove

**Andy117** · 01-23-17, 08:39 PM

I'd like to see the Mets take a shot at Holland.

**koz-man** · 01-23-17, 09:30 PM

Way to young.....RIP Ventura

**BigSpoon** · 01-23-17, 11:23 PM

Dodgers acquire 2B Logan Forsythe from the Rays in exchange for pitching prospect Jose De Leon: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...p-jose-de-leon

**mr. leisure** · 01-24-17, 12:17 AM

Originally posted by BigSpoon

Dodgers acquire 2B Logan Forsythe from the Rays in exchange for pitching prospect Jose De Leon: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...p-jose-de-leon

TB got the best of this deal .

**astro61200** · 01-24-17, 01:29 AM

Excellent trade for the Rays. You get a future #1 or #2, who is cost controlled for awhile, to pair with Archer for a mediocre hitter coming off a career year who will be a FA next year.

This will be a trade looked back on after the Rays win the WS as a steal and one of the great moves made to improve for the future.

**EmpireMaker** · 01-24-17, 03:58 AM

It once seemed like the Rangers were moving swiftly toward a deal with free agent first baseman Mike Napoli, but nothing has come together as of yet. That may be because Texas is only interested in guaranteeing the veteran a single season, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (Insider link).
It’s not terribly surprising, perhaps, to learn of that stance. With so many other power bats still remaining — even with Mark Trumbo and Jose Bautista now off the market — there’s good reason for teams to look to minimize their commitments in adding defensively limited hitters.
Indeed, we’ve heard before that the Rangers were hoping to see whether Napoli or Chris Carter would settle for a deal to the team’s liking. It seems that may be more than just a temporary bargaining position, though, as Olney suggests that Texas just isn’t interested in Napoli if it means promising him two years’ worth of salaries.
There are certainly some warts on Napoli’s free-agent case, too. He did hit 34 home runs and post a productive .239/.335/.465 batting line last year, but he also struggled badly down the stretch and in the postseason. Likewise, defensive metrics turned on him after previously showing favor toward his glovework at first base. Given that he’s already 35 years of age, Napoli comes with some obvious risks on a multi-year pact.
Still, Napoli is arguably the best-remaining slugger of the bunch. Only Carter compares in terms of right-handed hitters, with Mark Reynolds perhaps representing a bounceback option after an underwhelming 2016 season. But there are still a variety of strong lefty hitters out there, including Brandon Moss, Pedro Alvarez, Adam Lind, and Logan Morrison; any could also draw consideration from teams that don’t have a strong preference for handedness.

**Otters27** · 01-24-17, 07:46 AM

Dodgers need 2B now with their pitching staff. Although they might want to keep a top prospect like that to pitch in Dodger Stadium

**Chi_archie** · 01-24-17, 08:59 AM

wow, wish the bucs had dealt Josh Harrison to the Dodgers for that deal

**JAKEPEAVY21** · 01-24-17, 09:42 AM

fukk the dodgers

**BigSpoon** · 01-24-17, 11:46 AM

Cubs sign LHP Brett Anderson pending a physical. Doubt he'll stay healthy but worth a flyer for the Cubs. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/214224...rett-anderson/

**koz-man** · 01-24-17, 11:59 AM

Originally posted by EmpireMaker

15. Jason Hammel. Hammel’s reported market has been curiously quiet all winter despite a typically solid 2016 season in Chicago. Since the new year, he’s been connected to the Orioles, Rangers and Yankees, although the Orioles look less likely now than they did before adding Trumbo. Hammel also changed agents this winter; one imagines it’s been a frustrating offseason for him.

Changing Agents I'm sure had something to do with the hold up for action for him....

Nice gig for his New agent to be in...Lets see if he doesn't screw it up. I would think it would he hard to do, But ya never know!!

**El Nino** · 01-24-17, 06:43 PM

Does Wieters catch much any more? He may have to pull a Joe Mauer.

**EmpireMaker** · 01-25-17, 12:27 AM

Right-hander Hector Mendoza has been declared a free agent and can now sign with any club, reports Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez adds (via Twitter) that the 22-year-old Cuban hurler is expected to wait until his 23rd birthday (March 5) to sign, as he’ll be exempt from international bonus pools at that point. Per Ebro, Mendoza is being represented by Wasserman.
Mendoza was pitching for the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball but left Japan last October in order to pursue Major League free agency. There’s been little word on him since that time, but given the fact that he’s been declared a free agent, it’s safe to assume he’s established residency in a new country in the four months since that report.
While Mendoza falls shy of the required five pro seasons in a foreign professional league to meet the standard requirement for bonus pool exemption, Baseball America’s Ben Badler writes that the Cuban baseball federation’s decision to loan Mendoza to the Yomiuri Giants for parts of two seasons constituted an additional season of professional work. Ebro also notes that Mendoza was on his Cuban roster but didn’t pitch in the 2015-16 season, which added to his case. (The recent collective bargaining agreement stipulated that players must be at least 25 years of age, but that rule will not come into effect until the 2017-18 signing period.)
As Badler points out, had Mendoza fallen under international bonus pools, he’d have been ineligible to sign with the Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, D-backs, Giants, Rays and Royals due to the fact that each substantially exceeded their allotment in one of the two previous signing periods. Those teams, now, will of course be eligible to sign him once March 5 arrives.
Badler lists Mendoza at 6’3″ and 195 pounds and notes that he’s worked as a closer during his career in Cuba but has a starter’s repertoire and could develop as such with a big league team. In 149 2/3 innings as a pro in Cuba and Japan, Mendoza has a 2.95 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 5.3 BB/9. Badler has previously rated Mendoza as one of the 15 best prospects in Cuba (subscription required and strongly recommended), writing back in April 2015 that he has a 90-94 mph fastball and good in-zone command and strike-throwing ability. (Much of Mendoza’s struggles with his control came earlier in his career when he was a teenager.) He’s also displayed a solid-average curve and was working on a changeup as of that report from Badler.
Certainly, given the lengthy absence from a game setting (the 2014-15 season was his last full campaign), Mendoza will require some additional time in the minor leagues before he’s ready to help a Major League club. Exactly how much time will be dependent on whether the team that ultimately signs him views Mendoza as a starter or reliever, and the interest in him in those various roles figures to become clearer over the next five weeks as his 23rd birthday approaches.

**astro61200** · 01-25-17, 12:31 AM

Terrible K/BB rate. Terrible K rate for a reliever. Still young but doesn't sound like he'll be anything but an overpaid Cuban import.

**Otters27** · 01-25-17, 01:13 AM

They hope they can develop his control to lower the walks.

**astro61200** · 01-25-17, 05:29 AM

Anyone that close to 1:1 k:bb isn't going to amount to anything unless he throws a knuckleball or is an extreme groundball pitcher. Working on control issues for guys who strike out 10-11 per 9 is one thing, working on control issues for a guy who doesn't strike anyone out is another.

Guys with better ratios than that can be found all throughout AAA, and can be had for a fraction of the price.

**Chi_archie** · 01-25-17, 08:32 AM

Originally posted by BigSpoon

Cubs sign LHP Brett Anderson pending a physical. Doubt he'll stay healthy but worth a flyer for the Cubs. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/214224...rett-anderson/

very interesting

**JAKEPEAVY21** · 01-25-17, 09:58 AM

Originally posted by Chi_archie

very interesting

could be a solid pickup if he stays healthy

**BigSpoon** · 01-25-17, 12:49 PM

Angels sign Luis Valbuena to a 2 year deal worth $15M. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...on-2-year-deal

**koz-man** · 01-25-17, 02:28 PM

Former Phillies prospect Matt Imhof retires after losing right eye

Seven months after losing his right eye in a freak training accident, former Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Matt Imhof is retiring from baseball at age 23.

Imhof, who began the 2016 season with the Clearwater Threshers in the Class A Florida State League, was taking part in a routine stretching regimen at Brevard County Stadium in late June when a piece of metal broke loose from the wall and struck him in the face -- fracturing his nose, breaking two orbital bones and severely injuring his eye.
=======

Wow!!!Crazy freak accident!!!

**astro61200** · 01-25-17, 04:00 PM

Heard about this since the Threshers play a few miles away. From what I heard and read, he was using a resistance band and it snapped. Ended up whipping around and popping his eye. I believe the article I read on it compared it to smashing a grape.

**El Nino** · 01-25-17, 09:22 PM

Jesus...that is awful.